Clean Slate

The week following Ragnar I took a big fat 0 on all days! That's right. No running at all and a lot of sleep. I slept up to 2 extra hours a night for nearly a week. Yes, it felt great. I also allowed my left achilles some needed rest and I am now in the process of rebuilding an aerobic base and doing some much needed rehab. It's funny how a person lets their body go as long as it's performing well and quickly forgets all the extra strength oriented work that goes along with keeping the body healthy. I am now back at square one and will not slack on those exercises and continue to improve my overall strength this fall and winter and 2012 will be a new Masters record year for me. I'm pissed off with all the minor setbacks and now it's time to kick ass! This year was headed in that direction and since my 1/2 marathon in June I've been stuck in a rut of destruction. NO MORE.

So far this week I have run two easy days and performed my lower leg exercises along with some overall stretching of the legs, abdomen and upper torso. I plan to obtain some kettle-bells and possibly an old Bow Flex, as I used one today at Dunhams and I think it will provide all the necessary strength exercises I need. More research on that over the next few days.

Monday:

Out and back through the cemetery and exercises.

32:00 4+ miles

Tuesday:

on treadmill for 4.2 miles at 7:40 pace

33:00

*both runs were in Mizuno Ronins. I may try to adapt to the racing flat system, aka minimal-trainers, with a some caution looking ahead. I like the look of the new Brooks coming out this fall and those may be just what I need in a trainer. No more heels!

RAGNAR/GREAT RIVER RELAY 2011

As I mentioned in my previous post, I was very fortunate to be a member of a men's Masters team that was sponsored by Revel Sports/Marshfield Clinic that won the 2011 Ragnar/Great River Relay this past weekend. This same team, with the exception of two runners won the event in 2010 as well. Last year after we won there was talk of doing it again but those discussions really never surfaced until late this spring. Some guys were skeptical of doing it again because of the experience being so great in 2010, how could we possibly top that? With the crew we assembled we made that possible and had one hell of a time!

The picture above shows the six members of the starting van. We departed from Winona at 4:00 pm on Friday. For such a huge event, 300+ teams of 12 members, the start is very anti-climactic. The 4 pm slot had just 8 teams start. It felt like a club practice. We managed to get out and run in third place for most of the first round of running and had a decent battle already brewing. When we handed off to the second van of six runners it was getting dark and we had to put on the required reflective gear for the rest of the night and until the clock ticked past 0700!

For me going through the challenges of the race segments pays off when you hand off to the next runner and then see how the 11 other team members are putting out their 100% effort. In times of doubt all you have to do is think of the others hurting and to just keep pushing on the best you can. We all are hurting and as the night progresses EVERYONE is tired. You just have to dig a little deeper to find that extra piece that maybe the other teams are not quite able to focus on. All 11 of us did that and it resulted in another year with a super victory.

Briefly, I was runner number 5. I had segments of 8, 6.2, and 7 miles for my three legs. The 8 miler was .2 short and I appreciated every step of it! The 6.2 mile segment was in the farm lands just off the river valley's so it incorporated a lot of bluff climbing on gravel roads. I had about 1.5 miles of gradual warm up then I had 4.5 miles of uphill grind. The grade was more than the challenge I wanted at 0130 but I had to keep pressing on and get to the exchange zone to pass the hurt to my team member Mark. All in all, I finished that segment a bit disappointed but managed a 6:04 average pace for those climbs. My last segment was another hilly 7 miler that started in the corn/farm lands just outside of Woodbury and finished in the suburbia mecca of east Woodbury. Those rolling hills were enough to make scream, but I remember the look on my friend Steve's face as he ran the exact segment in 2010, and I just couldn't give up as he put in 110% that year and I didn't want to let my guys down. I still felt like I did, and part of it was injury, and the other part was not fueled up enough, but I managed to get it done and remain to average 6:03 miles for the last dirty bugger.

Once our van completed our last bit of running we handed off and grabbed a quick breakfast as Denny's and made contact with our team members in Van 2 only to find out they ate up the 9+ minutes we were behind all night long and actually were in the lead. As we made our way to the river paths of Minneapolis we found our runners in the lead and looking great. As our last runner took off for the final leg and the push to the finish he had a 5+ minute lead and gave it his all. With a lot of encouragement and a stellar running performance we managed to get the win with a 3 minute cushion.

The excitement was unbelievable. We had repeated the win and we now could celebrate. With a bit of help from some new friends we managed to make "a few" beers disappear and had eventually made our way to the motel for a little hot tub and dinner.

Thank you guys again for such a wonderful experience. I said this last year and I will say it again. I don't think we can top that performance but I am willing to try in 2012! Thanks much!!

Total for Ragnar: 195 miles 19:59:52 average pace: 6:10 per mile

me:

Friday:

44:36 7.8 miles

Saturday: 37:05 6.2 miles

42:05 7 miles

Sunday: 0 miles rest

Weeks Total: 43 miles

Years Total: 1500.9 miles

Ragnar Week

Team Revel Sports/Marshfield Clinic, a Masters division team, won for the second year in a row, the Ragnar Relay-Great River Relay from Winona to Minneapolis MN!!

I had the pleasure of joining these gentleman on last years victory and we decided to give it a try again and damn if we didn't repeat. There is a good story to the victory and I will get to that later but first I have to share the week building up to the race and how my runs went.

I started last week by giving myself a little break and running easy on Monday after a medium distance run on Sunday. I felt good and allowed myself a nice, easy recovery-type run and enjoyed it. Because I was feeling a bit behind in training I wanted to get a feel for "steady-state" pacing and decided to run a bit of loop out on Lakeside and turn up the volume a bit and run up to 5 miles at steady-state pace. Right now that pace seems to hit right about 5:50 pace. I started off and things were feeling great. I knocked off the first mile right on pace and soon found myself running closer to Lactate pace of 5:35 and didn't like that so I slowed down back to the 5:50's that I wanted. During the second mile I felt a pull on my posterior right knee that kept getting worse with each stride. Very concerning, so I backed off after 3 1/2 miles and jogged it home. That night I got a massage and the therapist couldn't find any trigger and all things felt fine. Very weird... On Wednesday I met up with Nic and we ran an hour very easy and things felt very good and I felt very little pulling on the knee. I took Thursday off and traveled Friday to the Ragnar.

The Ragnar report deserves it's own entry and I will post that very soon.

Here is the week:

Monday:

50:09 7.6 miles

Tuesday:

59:09 8.3 miles

3.5 miles at 5:50 pace

Wednesday:

57:55 7.4 miles easy

Thursday:

0 miles rest

Decent Week

I finished the week pretty strong with some decent runs and more importantly runs that felt good from an injury standpoint.

On Friday I managed to almost oversleep and had to shorten my run. I made up for it by hammering all the hills/inclines I came up to and ended running a decent fartlek workout.

On Saturday my wife and I managed to get out for a run together. That doesn't happen very often and we loved every minute of it. I showed her the single track trails in Lester Park. We had a wonderful day for running the trails and stood in the river after soaking our legs.

This morning I made my way out for a medium distance run and really didn't know what or where I was going to get my mileage. I decided on some trails in Rock Hill and Chester (upper) before making my way down to Skyline Blvd and out West to 8th Avenue before making a dip to see my friend Krysta. A quick chat and I was off to find the SHT and make my down to the Bayfront where the Bluesfest was setting up for their final day. I managed to catch up with some other friends and hammer a Bloody Mary down before making my chug home for the last 30 minutes of the run that took me along the Lakefront on the Lakewalk and finally the push up the single track on Chester Creek and home via UMD. What a fun run! The bloody actually helped me as the salt kept me going in the heat of the early morning. I did manage to hit the creek for a quick dip on my way up.

Friday: 43:00 6.5 miles (fartleks)

Saturday: 55:00 5.5 miles single track trails with wife in Lester

Sunday: 1:33:00 12.5 miles Loop down to Bayfront.

Weeks Total: 53 miles

Years Total: 1456.6 miles

Game On!

Things are going very good this week. I continue to 'up' my miles and intensity but remain to be far off of where I thought I would be at this point in the year. Still, I have a lot of racing season left and just have to refocus and do some new races this fall.

First on the list is the Ragnar in one week. I will once again have the opportunity to run with some real nice folks and talent. It will be fun, guaranteed!

Here is a quick recap of the week thus far.

Monday:

Martin road loop and home via Vermilion road.

1:00:00 8 miles

Tuesday:

Out and back on Skyline with 3 miles at steady-state pace just to test the achilles.

Felt slooooowwwww. Achilles decent.

55:30 8 miles

Wednesday:

short loop through cemetery and UMD.

40:00 5.3 miles

Thursday:

Kenwood loop. Tried to stay slow but managed a decent pace.

53:00 7.5 miles

Moving On

When I last wrote I was discussing how I may have found the source of my left achilles discomfort. I believe I was/am right and I continue to perform some deep calf stretches and lower leg exercises. The achilles discomfort is near gone but just a bit of stiffness on some mornings. This is something I need to monitor daily and stay diligent about exercises to keep things loose.

I managed to get out and run most days last week and took a double-day off on Saturday/Sunday after a most excellent party weekend in Washburn/Bayfield/Madeline Island with my wife, brother-in-law, wife and friends. There are times when you have to go have fun and forget about running and that was the weekend for me. Looking back I am very certain it also gave me some added rest to the achilles and that may be why I am feeling well this week. I continue to progress and will attempt to keep hammering towards my focus race the first Sunday in October.

Here is the remainder of last week and the early part of this week.

Tuesday:

31:33 Morley Park area/UMD. 4.3 miles

Wednesday:

55:17 8 miles Skyline 6 X 1min repeats at 5K

Thursday:

54:38 7.5 miles Kenwood/Chester loop

Friday:

38:56 5.2 miles trails and roads

Sat/Sunday:

0 miles

Weeks Total: 32 miles

Years Total: 1403.3 miles

The Source

I believe during the course of the weekend I found the source of my achilles tenderness. I believe it's coming from very tight, upper calf muscles pulling my achilles and thus thinking it was a tendonitis. I hope I'm right on this one. I've been stretching and things are improving. I figure it wouldn't hurt to keep at the lower leg exercises and thus will maintain all the extra work in addition to the running.

I got out under a beautiful sunrise sky and did an extended loop to Pleasant View and home via Vermillion. I had a bit of stiffness in the last two miles but stopped to stretch and most of the discomforts disappeared. Man, I'm ready to start hammering some serious miles! I just have to be patient the rest of this week, then if all is good start dialing up the intensity and volume ever so slowly.

50:47 6.6 miles

Maintain But No Progress

The last week was one with minimal gains and maybe a bit more loss. I have been able to maintain fitness but I am not getting any faster by the training I'm doing. I managed to get a Chiro adjustment and do some self massaging with the Stick and my right calf seems to be at ease. In the meantime I have woken up some old left Achilles tendonitis which I am very aggressively treating. (been down that road and wish to never get as bad as I was in 2007-2008!) Once I get the green light on the Achilles I may just find myself in decent shape this fall. I always like racing in the fall season so I guess that is a good thing. I remain to swear off all marathons this year but I got the bug to train for one now. Maybe 2012 will be a marathon year for me. Now I'm getting too far ahead of myself, but for now I need to get healthy and be ready to help my Ragnar Relay team in three weeks.

Here is a brief summary of the last week.

Monday: I ran an easy road loop up past old Pig's and home via Vermillion. Legs are feeling decent. No calf issues.

52:00 6.5 miles

Tuesday: Out and back on Skyline. Feeling much better and had to keep things under control.

1:00:00 8.3 miles

Wednesday: no go. i was tired and took the 8+ hours of sleep

0 miles

Thursday: Kenwood and UMD area. left achilles minor twinge.

55:37 7.7 miles

Friday: Out and back via Cemetery loop. Left achilles has me concerned. I don't want to go down this path of 2007-2008 agian.

30:57 4 miles (exercises and ice achilles)

Saturday: Achilles felt better but I hiked a bunch of miles at the Voyageur 50 Miler taking pictures in the backwoods. Felt good.

3-4 miles hiking

Sunday: I managed to get out in the hottest part of the day. 86F when I ran and I felt great! I managed to stay in the woods on trails by UMD and Chester Bowl and take a little dip in Chester Creek mid run. Both calf and Achilles felt fair and no major pulls to be concerned with. Just need to keep rehabing and exercises.

1:01:04 7.3 miles trails

Weeks Total: 34 miles *5 runs + one hike and one rest day

Years Total: 1371.7 miles

Fickle Calf

I have had my share of ups and downs with this calf issue. I know I didn't strain it. The damn thing decides to tighten when ever it wants out of the blue and very quickly. I have a feeling it is related to tight IT Band in the hip or possibly a lower back/SI alignment. I will see the Chiro this week and keep at my stretches and massage. My hopes are that this is behind me, but I felt like that last week and it came back very quickly. So, I hope to have a nice stretch of running this week and hopefully soon get back to some workouts.

I was able to run through last weekend and Monday and Tuesday of last week, then my calf gave me shit on Tuesday and required me to jog home. After taking Wednesday and Thursday off I ran a light run on Friday but a bit of tightness remained. I took off Saturday and ran this afternoon and had a wonderful run. PLEASE let this be behind me!

Sunday:

1:00:00 trails

Monday: easy, slow 4.5 miles 35:00

Tuesday: 7 miles with calf tightening.

Wed/Thur: 0 miles

Friday: 5 miles easy (slight tightening)

Saturday: 0 miles

Sunday: 50:00 5+ miles on singletrack trails in Lester with Tony.

Felt great!

Purple Donuts

I managed to get a quick appointment and sign up for a hour massage with my usual therapist. Yeah! To start the session she always asks me, "why are you here today?" I like that about her. She always is interested and ready to tackle whatever issue I may have going. I told her about my calf and the fact I was a bit stumped as to why it reared its ugly head in the first place. She had some ideas and we got underway.

To save you the boredom of the whole hour, let me tell you she found "the spot" within 10 minutes and really focused on "breaking up the adhesions". Just let me tell you one thing. If a therapist ever utters those words, get ready for the hurt-locker. It's what needs to be done and very crucial, AND a good therapist knows when to back off during the session. We have that kind of relationship and it works wonders. I was at that point when the adhesions were being "torn off" that I did all I could to stay relaxed and breathe easy. Not so easy to do, but an essential part of a massage. I had my eyes closed and I was doing all I could not to kick my leg and then I saw one. Then two. Then many more to follow. No kidding. I had my eyes closed and I saw little purple donuts floating through my visual field. At first I thought I was crazy, but I opened and closed my eyes again and they were still there. Wow! I asked her. "Is it normal to see purple donuts with my eyes closed?" She laughed a bit and got back to work.

I said many "mama-mea's" and made it through the hour. What a great hour of work it was. I got my $ worth that's for sure.

This morning I hooked up with the two Dave's, Grant and a new couple to the area. We showed them the trails at Rock Hill and Hartely and had a wonderful easy trail run. I was a bit concerned of the calf but it warmed nicely and stayed loose the entire loop. I almost added to run 90 minutes but opted out. Probably the smart thing to do at this point. It's nice to be back and I am loving every minute of it. To make matters so much better my lovely wife has been back at the miles and seems to be making progress. Something she hasn't been able to say for quite some time.

Total: 1:07:30 ~8 miles

Forced Break

Last week I had some stellar training underway. I felt like I had made the recovery from the GB-Half and I had the green light to start the push for my next race. I had planned a week of strength work and light speed secession with the usual long effort on the weekend. The week went great and on Saturday I ran my long run with Nic again and we started nice and early so we could tend to our own responsibilities after. The last half hour of the long run I had my right lateral calf muscle begin to tighten. With a mile and half to get home I had to stop and attempt to stretch my calf. I managed to run a bit more but quickly realized I could do some serious damage if I kept running on it so I stopped once again and made the rest of the journey a walk home. I am not too sure yet what the root of the problem is but I have my own theory. On my Thursday workout on the track I felt my lower leg get a little fatigued and at the end of my last interval it was a bit tight. My low back was tight as well. I never gave it much thought as that seems to be quite normal. The following easy day I was very fatigued but no soreness or pain to deal with. Then the Saturday long run came and the rest is history.

It is now the following Thursday and I have not run but once since last Saturday. I tried to jog on Tuesday and lasted a little over a mile and I was reduced to a walk again. It is feeling better and I can stretch it out a bit from my hip stretches I do. That is why I think it is referred pain from tight hips/glutes/low back. I am a bit taken back with this, since I don't truly know what the hell is going on and I hope to have it licked by the weekend. I'm just a bit worried about starting too soon and being back at square one. I have pushed all racing thoughts out of my mind until the Ragnar Relay in mid/late August. If things improve sooner I may jump in a local 5 or 10K just to test the waters. So that is my last two weeks. Here are the details.

Week 4th-10th

Monday: another easy hour just to shake things out a bit.

56:40 8 miles

Tuesday: Hills, 4 x hills at UMD with 30 second strider on top

56:56 7.8 miles

Wednesday: Easy loop through Kenwood area and Skyline.

54:21 7.4 miles

Thursday: Track session at UMD 4 X 1000 meters

3:14, 3:12, 3:08, 3:12

56:08 8.1 miles

Friday: Morley Park neighborhood run. Snively home

44:33 6.1 miles

Saturday: Started in downpour rain, out to Stebner, Morris Thomas, Piedmont, Skyline home.

2:00:25 16.5 miles (0.5 mile walk)

Sunday: OFF *calf issue

Weeks Total: 54 miles

Years Total: 1301.4 miles

So far this week I have attempted to jog a bit on Tuesday with failure. I felt decent to start and after the one mile mark I could feel the calf tightening very quickly so I immediately turned the jog into a walk and made my way home.

I have been doing a series of stretches and things are improving but I am still quite apprehensive to try running as I can still feel some tightness when walking stairs. I hope to get back at it by next week but right now it's day by day.

Time To Restart The Engines- Progress

Wednesday
I woke up and really had a difficult time getting motivated to run, much less a run with some sort of intervals. I really came close to staying in bed but something told me to get up and at least give it a try.
As I hit the road and started making my way to Chester Bowl I really was doubting my legs. At 2.5 miles I threw in a strider and realized I was that far off and indeed my legs would turn over if I asked them to. So I decided on "near" tempo run pace for three minute intervals.
The first felt fair and the rest felt great! I was clicking off 5:25 pace like nothing. The last interval was up a slight incline so that one didn't feel the best but I finished very satisfied.

Total: 57:29. 8.4 miles 5 x 3 min at 5:25 pace

Thursday
I ran an easy loop out to the SHT and ran it doe to Hawks Ridge before making my way home via Sively.
A decent run and finally nailed a great morning run as far as weather goes.

Total: 54:55. 7 miles

Friday
Feeling fatigue and just not willing to listen to the alarm this moening. I stayed in bed a bit and then got up and went to work early.

Total: o miles rest day.

Saturday:
I finally connected with Nic again and we made our way out to Park Point and back for our early morning long run. The morning was already approaching 70F and we had plenty of sunlight as company. I was surprised how good I felt as this was my first longer effort since late May. My legs really didn't get too fatigued and the energy was there at the end. A nice surprise.

Total: 1:59:06. 15.8 miles

Sunday
After my wife ran her long run I took to the woods of Hartley and did a loop before doing a small loop in Rock Hill. I am always bummed out in the summer after attempting to run in Hartley. The mud, rocks, and roots are ever so apparent as compared to the smooth surface of winter running. There are times when I enjoy the slow slog, not that often, and today wasn't one of them. I tripped and fell the last time I ran in there and I guess I was still tasting sour apples because I kept the pace very pedestrian and eventually made the loop.

Hartley is such an interesting place. I love the fact that it is 4 minutes from our house but the terrain is just blah. My take on it is it's good for recovery but that is about it. There are a lot of hard working individuals that work to maintain the trail but I believe its work that is appreciated by a small group of users. There have been more re-routes in the last three or four years and I can see many more in the near future. The re-routes get hammered by the bikers who dont respect the wet trails and soon the new path is beat to shit and now more re-routes are needed. I guess I will bid my time and wait til the leaves fall and once again they will be covered in snow. But let's hope that is FAR to the future.

Total: 1:06:30. 7.4 miles easy


Weeks Total: 54 miles
Years Total: 1247.5miles

Back In The Groove

I had the day off of work yesterday since we had our annual family get together and it was a late night or two. I'm so glad I did. I slept in a bit and managed to get out for a nice trail run in the mid-morning. My legs felt fair and I had a bit of some residual calf soreness/tightness. I managed to finish the run without any further damage and I am looking forward to getting in some consistent training this month.

Total: 1:04:00 7.5 miles

This morning I was back to the early morning training and I had a wonderful run. I stuck to the roads of Woodland and Vermilion and struggled with overall fatigue but mostly heavy leg syndrome. I can tell I am low in carbs and will focus on increasing my intake of such food items along with adequate fluids. If all goes well I may find myself cranking out some good miles within the week.

Total: 57:00 7.6 miles

End Of Rest Week

I may have exercised my right to take off a few days this week being post half marathon but I am ready to get back at it. I was torn between taking time off and just running easy. I hope to benefit from the days off, as I feel very rested and ready to tackle the second part of the year. I am still unsure of what the big goal race might be, rather the second half of the year may be filled with shorter races with the goal to run fast at the TCM 10 Miler in October. Between now and then I will have a couple 5K's, one mile, and the Great River Ragnar Relay.

I hope all of you out there are having healthy, enjoyable running days. I hope to see many of you at the races to come.

Here's to the second half of 2011!

Weeks Total: 10 miles

Years Total: 1193.8 miles

Optional

The week after a major event I like to take a physical and more importantly, a mental break. My buildup for GB Half started in January and some six months later a minor break was warranted. Had I ran the full marathon I might take a longer break but really, I am itching to get back at it and run some additional races this summer and fall.

Sunday last week I rested and enjoyed the day with family.

Monday:
I set off to walk the trails at UMD and found myself running the entire time. I ran easy but one complete loop of Rock Hill felt great.

Total: 25:36. 3 miles

Tuesday:
Off/rest

Wednesday:
Off/rest, too much rain! Enough already.

Thursday:
I did the modified Kenwood loop and I felt decent energy wise but both low calves were very tight.

Total: 50:30 6.7 miles

Overdue

The 35th Grandmas Marathon and 21st Annual Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon were blessed with weather conditions that once made this event popular. I'm talking about the Northeast winds that can blow directly down the race course that gives the runners a tailwind.

This years events would have such a day, one that has been long overdue, and I was blessed with the opportunity to take part in the Half-Marathon. I had a plan, stuck to it and ran very respectable. The race plan did not unfold the way I had visioned but pretty damn close! One major move by one of my competitors would make the difference but like I said, I wouldn't change a thing if I had to race again tomorrow.

Friday:
I woke up and got our son to Kid Connection before I returned and broke out for a short 4 miler just to shake out the legs. I knew during that run that good things could happen on Saturday. I didn't announce it to anybody but I had been waiting all week to have a run like that. Tapering, the little bit I did, play more mind games than anything and I was not feeling so well early in the week. Friday I managed to run the short loop and without thinking I was running 6:30-6:40 pace and it felt like 8:00 pace, always a good indicator ones ready to put in a good performance. I sure am happy that happened, because I sure was doubting myself earlier in the week.

Total: 4 miles with 3 striders.

Saturday:
Race morning came quick, as it does in the GB half, and I was so ready to get going. I quickly made my way to the computer room to check the doppler radar to see how long the rain was going to last. When I jumped in the shower it was raining quite hard and the doppler looked like it was going to pass and be over by 0630-0700. For once the weather held true and by the time our race was starting most of the rain had quit. I didn't get the warm up I wanted, so that's when I decided to use the first mile or so to warm up. That didn't quite happen but with the tailwind, it sure felt like a warm up.

The GB Half has gotten very popular since the introduction of money prizes to the top ten a few years ago. Back in the day I finished in a PR that landed me in 4th place overall, a time now that wouldn't crack the top 20! That was then, this is now. As the horn sounded the field took off like no other. The huge pack of open elite quickly made their mark and I settled into pace just to stay out of the way. I would run the first two miles quicker than I planned but remained under control. (5:22, 5:31) At the two mile mark I shed my long sleeve shirt I had on and got to business. My main goal going into the race was to run under 1:12:00 and with hopes that would place me high in the Masters Division. I kept in mind the wind that was at our backs so I really didn't panic when I saw the quicker splits on my GPS. The course is one I have run literally dozens of times and I knew where every small incline was just to make sure I didn't push too hard in a section that didn't need pushing. The next five miles would all read under 5:30/mile pace and I was feeling great. It was at that point on London Road where my main competitor would make his move and I made the decision NOT to cover it. He pushed the 8th and 9th mile and I let him go thinking I would real him in on the slightly downhill 10th mile and exciting 11th-12th miles. That never happened. I would run 5:25, 5:24, 5:25 in chase and I gained only minor ground. (I later talked with Pat an he told me he broke away with a 5:17 9th mile!) As we made our way through the downtown streets the rain-soaked crowds were amazing! They always are in downtown and Saturday would be no different. For some reason as we passed the 12th mile I started thinking too much and got behind two runners as we head into the wind behind the DECC and I let them dictate the pace. My second big mistake. They slowed down and I stayed behind slowing as well. It's amazing how one lapse in concentration can cost you 10 seconds. I had enough energy to push pretty hard down the final stretch (4:56 pace) with another runner and we broke the line just one second apart. My final time would be 1:11:43. A time I knew would be possible but I didn't really know if it would happen. I can thank the wind a lot but I did play out my race plan as best as I could have. What a feeling!!

1:11:43, 48th overall, 5th Master, 3rd in 40-44 age group

Here are my splits for you running geeks like me:
5:22, 5:31, 5:29, 5:26, 5:29, 5:25, 5:30, 5:34, 5:31, 5:25, 5:24, 5:25, 5:34, :32

Total miles: 15 miles

Weeks Total: 38 miles (taper, 5 days)

Years Total: 1184.1 miles

Some Assistance

Monday:
I woke up feeling much the same. Not too bad, but not much better. I would contact my doctor during the day and start antibiotics and start using an inhaler as well. The run went ok. I am always surprised how tired these virus's make you feel. I hope this works.

Total: 49:01. 6.6 miles

Tuesday:
Too early to tell if the antibiotics were working but I managed to get out and do a short warmup and do some light uptempo work on the track. I did 6 laps of 100 meter pick-ups with the curves as recovery. The first few laps were horrible. I felt like it was my first day on the track in months! Once I blew off the rust I finished the intvals feeling fluid but the whole workout was just another shot to my confidence.

Total: 40:07. 5.7 miles with 12 x 100 meters @5:00/mi pace

Wednesday:
Mid day at work yesterday I felt like things were changing. I suddenly felt like I was breathing better and less congested in the nasal cavities. I woke up with next to no phlegm and made my way out the door for a short, easy run. I did a loop out to Pleasant View road and returned via Vermilion. My legs felt decent but I didn't push the pace at all. I may want to do some striders on Friday just to get the legs loose one more time.

Total: 47:27. 6.6 miles

Thursday:
I decided to take a rest day today and hope this freshens up the legs a bit. I have the day off of work tomorrow and will get a short run in the morning just to loosen up some. 48 more hours of antibiotics to work before the race, so I hope things improve. I felt like I was stuffing up again last night but I didn't wake up coughing at all, so that is a bonus. Super foggy and cool this morning. About the norm two days prior to Grandmas, as years past had this similar pattern.

Total: O miles

Struggle Continues

Friday:

I woke up late and was going to take a zero then I figured I would venture out for a short run just to clear the head. The morning was glorious and I am glad I did make it out for a short jaunt but my sinus's remain to be clogged. I am coughing less and the phlegm I do cough up is minimal but I still feel zapped overall. What the hell did that virus do to me?

Total: 34:00 4.6 miles

Saturday:

I slept in until near 8:00. That is a record for me for a LONG time. I felt whipped last night and I really took advantage of the weekend and gained some extra sleep. It sure felt good. When I did manage to get out for a run I decided on a trail run just to pass the time. I made my way to the trails of Hartley and ventured out on a "guard-rail" loop. I usually don't run those trails prior to Grandma's weekend because I don't want to risk injury. I was going to be running really easy so I figured I was safe. Wrong! I was almost 40 minutes into the run and I was coming up on a corner on the single track and I entered a stretch that was shaded by the trees and that's where my toe grabbed a whole of a root and sent my flying forward. Fully knowing I was about to eat dirt, I tried to soften the blow with my hand/elbows and take the fall into a full body roll to keep impact a minimum. When I finally stopped I was staring up into the sky and let out a big $^^#()!!!! I hate falling. It always leaves my back in a mess. I really feel old, and I am NOT, when I fall and that is what I was most pissed off about. My right low back went into a subtle spasm while I wobbled for a few minutes but by the time I got home I had kept my pains to a minimum. A hot shower would help most aches but I was worried about my back. I did a few extra stretches later in the day and night and it must have helped because I went to bed mostly pain-free. (It may have been the beers I had that aided in that too.)

Total: 1:03:00 7.7 miles

Sunday:

Other than feeling a bit "dry" I woke up mostly pain-free and was eager to get my run completed under the early morning sunny skies. I had planned on running up to ten miles and run the latter miles in a negative split fashion just to keep the legs from getting too bored with all the easy running lately.

That is where I had some difficulties. I started picking up the pace after the three mile mark and I soon realized how hard I was working to maintain what I call "steady-state" pace. This pace should be relatively easy at this point in my training. The pace I was running felt way too hard and I shut things down after four miles. The splits were: 6:13, 5:51, 5:46, 5:39.

I'm not too sure what is going on, but I felt like my lungs were not expanding enough and I struggled to get air. Kind of how I felt like the 5K at altitude last week. I hope things improve quickly otherwise the race on Saturday is going to be a wash...

Other than the run, Kari, Lucas and I went to Brighton Beach and skipped rocks for an hour or so then we made our way to the Duluth Huskies game to watch them kick butt!! What an amazing day we had! Finally, one good one on a day free of work!

Total: 1:11:00 10.3 miles

middle miles as above.

Weeks Total: 49 miles

Years Total: 1146.2 miles

Down From Mile High/ One Week To Go

I made the trip back form Denver and have made the transition back to normal hours and no altitude. I really didn't feel the altitude in everyday training per say but I did manage to get my ass kicked by ~5300 ft in the conference 5K on Friday

Friday I woke up hacking the same mucous. I was indifferent about the 5k but I really wanted to get in a hard effort no matter what the outcome would turn out to be. I took the bus ride to the start and did a warm up. The race was about as hard as I expected with the altitude and my virus I was fighting. The opening mile was tough and it got more difficult by the minute. I did get my "hard effort" but as far as a race goes it was a disaster. I ran 17:26 or so, which is the slowest I have run since age 16 or 17.

Total: 7.6 miles
2 mile warm up
5k race
2.5 mile warm down

Saturday was a travel day and I took a day off
0 miles

Sunday I joined the boys out at Jeremy's house and did a little step-down run. The early pace was very manageable and I decided to run the last 5 miles or so at steady-state pace. The last 4.6 miles were run at 5:50 pace and it felt fair. I am still not breathing right and I can't wait until all the bugs are out of me.
Total: 1:32:32. 13 miles with step-down miles.

Total week: 54 miles
Total Year: 1097.4 miles


Monday was the typical easy recovery run. No frills.

Total: 55:47. 7.6 miles

Tuesday I ran an out and back on west Skyline with negative splits at steady-state pace miles. I was feeling much better and hit some decent splits at an effort less than Sunday's. Just maybe I can salvage a decent race come June 18th.

Total: 57:05. 9 miles with 5 miles near 5:35 pace

Wednesday I woke up after a stellar nights sleep and decided to take an off day and add another hour of sleep to the night. For some reason I was fighting the virus I thought I lost and now was stuffing up and hacking some green mucous again. By mid-day at work I was feeling better but I am still monitoring the possibility of some antibiotics before next weeks race.

Total: 0 miles

This morning I ran an easy warm up and made my way to the UMD track to do one of Pfitzinger's workouts two weeks out. I did a 3 X 2000 meters with 3 minutes rest between. The pace was very manageable but still it left me doubting my goals for the half-marathon next weekend. I still don't feel like I am exchanging air properly and luck would have it I ran into my primary physician on my warm down so he and I spoke of the possibility of antibiotics and I will make that call by this Friday night. I want to make sure there is no doubt I can breathe properly one week from now as I am going to need all the air I can get!

Here is how the workout went:

3 mile warm up

2000 meters at 5:20 pace

2000 meters at 5:21 pace

2000 meters at 5:18 pace

2.4 mile warm down

Total: 1:07:20 9.6 miles

Virus Remains/ Feeling Some Heat

I just want tot start by saying that I hope I don't get another virus in the sinus for quite some time. Every day, including this morning, I have hacked up some incredible lung cookies! How does our body produce such a thing? I continue to get better in small increments each day and I hope by weeks end I will be ready to crack some good workouts.

Monday I ran an easy hour and time would allow me to hook up with my old running partner Kooks! I picked him up and we ran out and back on Skyline. It was nice to reconnect with him as we have ran many miles together back in the day. I felt good and the miles rolled out like they should on a recovery run.
Total: 1:02:00 7.6 miles easy

Tuesday I was flying out to Denver for a conference so I had to get up ultra early and hit some miles. With this I felt like spending some miles running a bit faster so I made my way to the UMD track and ran 12 laps with the the straights at sub-5k pace. The fog was so thick I couldn't see across the track. I think I was the only one out there but on my last lap I ran down two men doing some laps. Legs felt great.
Total: 50:38 7+ miles

I didn't sleep worth a shit on my first night in Denver so I took full advantage and gained a couple extra hours of sleep. The day allowed me to sneak out at lunch and run the creek paths just blocks from the hotel. I felt great and the time just flew bye. I had to work to keep the pace controlled and I like that feeling.
Total: 1:00:30. 8.4 miles

This morning I felt more rested and made my way out nice and early and hit the creek paths for a bit longer. The weather was wonderful and I haven't felt heat like that in some time. Duluth hasn't been this warm since last summer! I managed to have a good run and add a few extra miles to the morning. The lung cookies are becoming much less and I can't wait for all this to be gone.
Tomorrow I will run the 5k that the conference puts on and I plan to go as I feel. I would love to hammer out the race but I am not too sure all systems are ready for that. We'll see but I may run LT pace to ensure a great workout, but then again, once the competitive juices start flowing I'm not too sure I can hold back. Report to follow.
Total: 1:11:14. 10 miles